Summary: Isabella lived a perfect life with her husband until the abuse started. With the death of her mother, she may have just been given life changing gift: a way out. But with it comes a whole new world that she may not be ready to face. Maybe with the help of her green-eyed savior. Mafia, Crime, Abuse, Hurt/Comfort.

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. Stephanie Meyers owns characters but the plot is of my original work.

Enjoy!

Chapter 22: Joy

When I blinked my eyes open, I was momentarily blinded by the sunlight that was beaming through the curtains. I was very well aware of Edward's presence; his body was flush against my back, and his left arm was draped over my waist. I could feel his chest rising and falling, and his breath was hot and comforting against my neck. When I sunk further into his arms, he immediately tightened his grip around me and pulled me closer.

I can't remember ever feeling this safe in a man's arms.

"Good morning," he said. His voice was garbled from sleep but sexy.

"Good morning," I replied.

"You slept through the night," he observed.

"So did you," I said.

I twisted my body around to face him and smiled up at his face. He flashed me a dazzling one in return, and then he reached up to tuck my hair behind my ear.

"You're so beautiful." My face flushed in response and I ducked my head. However, he wasn't having any of that, as he grabbed hold of my chin once again to make me look at him. "Don't do that."

"Do what?"

"Turn away. Own it," he said. "You're beautiful, and you shouldn't feel embarrassed whenever someone tells you so."

"It's kind of hard to believe when I'm surrounded by people like you," I laughed.

He frowned. "You don't see yourself clearly," he sighed.

Before I could say anything, someone knocked lightly on the door. From the other side, we heard Esme say, "Bella, are you up?"

I shot up from the bed as fast as Edward, and we stood there having a silent conversation with our bulging eyes. I looked around the room frantically for a place for him to hide. He, on the other hand, was a step ahead of me and disappeared under the bed. I scanned the room for any traces of him before I walked over to the door.

I smiled at her when I opened it. "Good morning, Esme."

"You look so much better," she said. "I take it you finally got some sleep."

I nodded my head and blushed.

"All right," she nodded. "Well, I was coming up to wake you. I have breakfast ready, and you need food in your system, or you'll get sick."

"Yes, Mom," I rolled my eyes as I teased her and she swatted me softly on my shoulder. "Let me get dressed, and I'll head down."

She nodded her head once again and left. When I closed the door behind me, Edward had already come out from his hiding place. He was scratching the back of his head as he stood there awkwardly. This was the first time I noticed the clothing he was wearing. The Edward I've known always wore a crisp suit or a button up and silk pants. That Edward looked like someone who had his life in order. The Edward in front of me was dressed in a pair of flannel pajamas and a black, V-neck T-shirt. His feet were bare, and with the way his arm was lifted, a small sliver of skin between his shirt and pants was visible. I gulped when I saw the prominent v-line that directed to his lower region.

He cleared his throat as he started walking toward me. "I'm sorry if I overstepped my boundary last night," he said.

I cocked my head in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I shouldn't have come into your room uninvited like that. I thought you were hurt," he explained. "But I'm glad you were finally able to rest."

"I got some sleep because of you," I said. "Thank you, Edward."

The tension in his shoulder left, and he flashed me a brilliant smile.

"Good," he said. "I should let you get ready."

"Yeah," I said lamely.

He hesitated for a second before he walked past me and held the doorknob in his hand. "I'll talk to you soon," he said.

Then he was gone.

I sat down in bed and pinched myself on my arm, hoping that this wasn't a dream; that I actually had slept in the same bed as Edward Cullen. The man who has starred in my dreams since the day I met him. Without a doubt, I had grown attached to Edward ever since he saved me from Royce and his friends. He was my hero, and that's why I felt so safe with him. It doesn't mean that I don't still find him completely infuriating at times, but there was something about Edward that was special.

Don't get too comfortable, Bella.

I shushed my inner thoughts and pushed them away. Edward wasn't like James…or at least, I hope he wasn't.

Edward didn't join us for breakfast after that, but when I looked at my phone, there was a message from an unknown number. It was from him.

Had a meeting at FSC. See you tonight?

I found myself smiling into the phone, and I felt a tingling in the pit of my stomach. When I realized what I was doing, I cleared my throat and looked around the room for Esme. Luckily, she was busy flipping through the newspaper to notice. For the first time in days, I shoveled the food quickly into my mouth, and Esme was quick to comment.

"What happened last night?" she asked.

"What…what do you mean?" I stuttered.

She rolled her eyes and laughed. "I mean did something change? Why was last night different from the other nights?"

I shrugged and said, "I think it's just a nice change of scenery," I said. "It's not that far from home, but it makes me feel as if James is a million miles away. I doubt he'll find me here, plus, I like spending time with you."

She held a hand up to her heart and sighed contently.

"I'm so glad to hear that, Bella," she said. "Stay here as long as you need. Carlisle and I are the only ones left in this house. Sometimes it gets lonely."

"But…Edward was here last night?"

Her eyebrows shot up when I mentioned his name. "Yeah, he was," she laughed. "He stays here sometimes when he needs to be at the office. He actually lives in one of the buildings he owns—up at the penthouse. That boy is rarely home though."

"Oh?"

She smiled deviously at me, probably enjoying the fact that we're discussing her son. The wheels in her head kept turning, and I curse Alice for planting that seed in her. "He travels a lot," she said. "I'm hoping that one day soon, he'd settle down."

I just stared into my plate and nodded.

"So," she started. "How are you and my son getting along?"

And there was the million-dollar question.

The one I've been anxiously dreading to hear from her or Alice. This was a topic they've wanted to start since the family dinner and I walked straight into it.

"What do you mean?"

"I know you two clashed in the beginning," she said. "Then you got stuck in the elevator together, and you also spent New Year's Eve at Charlie's house alone."

I should've known that Alice probably kept Esme in the loop about a lot of things—including what she's observed between Edward and me. It didn't bother me before, but now that I'm confused about my feelings for him, I'm scared they'll read more into it than necessary. One thing was for sure though; Edward deserved a beautiful, tall, blonde, rich, successful, and wholesome woman. I didn't fit into any of those categories.

"Yeah, were good friends," I told her simply.

I plastered the best smile I could muster for Esme, and we continued eating breakfast. We discussed the situation about James, and she asked me how I felt. It was surprisingly easy to talk about it to her.

"I just wish I could feel normal. Normal like with my Mom…"

"You're right there, Bella," she said. "You've moved on quite well. I know there's nothing we can do to bring back Renee or make things exactly the way were before…but what we can do is open up our home. Accept you into this family and provide you with open hearts and a happy future."

A tear slipped down my cheek, and Esme reached out to wipe it just like my mom did whenever I cried. She hugged me tightly, and we cried together—I missed my mother, and she missed her best friend.

"You remind me a lot of my mom," I said. "You're both so kind and loving. I know you accepted me wholeheartedly as soon as you met me. You've helped me in more ways than you can imagine. It's hard for me to talk about…" I swallowed the lump in my throat before saying his name, "James, and what he did to me. But being here with Charlie, with you, and your family, I can say I'm happy once again. It's just been hard with James being in town. I'm scared he'll find me."

"We'll protect you always, Bella," she said as she laid a comforting hand on me.

The sound of a baby chortling made us turn our heads, and we found Rose standing with Bellie in her arms. Rose's face, though, was contorted into a mixture of anger and sadness.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop."

Esme stood and took the baby. What happened next surprised the hell out of me. Rose crossed the room and pulled me into a fierce hug. When she drew back, her eyes were glistening with unshed tears.

"I know I don't know you very well," she started, "and I'm sorry if you wanted to keep this part of your life a secret, but I overheard it by accident. Esme is right; we're your family now; I don't usually accept people easily, but there's something about you. My gut tells me you were meant to be here with us. It could be the post-pregnancy hormones or whatever else…if you need someone, I'm here."

It was my turn to pull her now and give her a hug.

"Thank you," I said.

After the tears during breakfast, and after Alice had rushed over for some quality girl time, I considered Rose and Alice to be my friends. Having them was something I missed because James cut me off from mine back in Chicago. Then, I took their advice and talked to them about what had happened. Releasing all of that again helped with my anxiety and fears that had built up over the last couple of days. More so, I honestly felt as if I could really trust them; not only with my secret but also with my life.

Along with telling my story, they also shared with me some of their secrets. Alice and Rose were always worried for Jasper and Emmett. It's especially harder for Rose knowing that Emmett's life is always in danger and it could leave her and Bellie alone if he were to get hurt. Rose grew up in the same family circle, and she knew about the risk of being involved in the family business. The Hales weren't a part of the gun business, but Rose's dad was a huge investor in FSC. Once Rose's father, Jebediah, officially retires, Rose will assume his place. Like Edward, she's been training for it her whole life.

The Cullens and the Hales have known each since they were very young. Rose told me that the right from the start, she knew Emmett was the one for her and vice versa. They've been together since freshman year of high school. Looking back at my experience, I can't imagine any of the guys during my freshman year being my husband today. I shuddered.

Jasper also grew up in the same family circle, but he used to live in Texas. When he was twenty-two, his parents died, and Jasper inherited everything. The Whitlocks came from old money, and Jasper is the last of the Whitlock generation. He doesn't have any brothers or sisters, and the only remaining relative he has is an uncle in prison. It was in New York where Jasper's closest 'relative' lived ...Charlie. The Swans and Whitlocks, although they don't share the same bloodline, were family friends way down the line. My grandparents and Jasper's grandparents were very close. Charlie welcomed Jasper into his family and business with open arms and Jasper accepted his role. Alice says that Jasper has the financial means to stay out of the business; he technically never has to work a day in his life, but Jasper actually loves to work for Charlie.

After hearing their story, I tried hard not to dwell on the fact that they were all so successful on their own and I wasn't. I don't even have a job, and it depressed me a little sitting here in the same room with them. Esme, with her organizations, Alice, with her design studio, and Rose, with her family business. It made me want to crawl into a corner and hide. But maybe…instead of feeling so depressed about it, I could do something to change it. I'll have to talk to Charlie, later on, I decided.

"She is without a doubt the calmest baby I've held," Esme cooed as she held Bellie. She pulled me away from my thoughts. "And she has Emmett's DNA."

"Oh yeah, I've heard the horror stories of babies who don't sleep at night and how their parents go crazy," Alice nodded with her wide eyes.

Rose and I laughed.

"Bellie's perfect," I said. Rose rolled her eyes at the nickname, but I can see she was slowly getting used to the idea. "Sorry."

"I should have known Emmett would call her something like that," she said. "But he's been great so far. Always jumps to change the diaper."

"As he should," Esme said indignantly. "I raised him to be the man he is, and if he's any less, I'll personally cut off his balls."

Something about hearing Esme say something so crass let out loud, embarrassing laughter from my mouth. The type that you can feel deep in your stomach and you can't breathe for a couple seconds. The others joined in on the contagiousness of my merriment. It took me a second to gather my bearings, and only when I wiped the tears from my eyes did I see Edward standing across the living room.

He had a very peculiar expression on his face—something I couldn't decipher. He blinked his eyes before he smiled at me and waved. Then he turned around and headed up the stairs. I stared after him for a bit too long, and that was my first mistake. The women in the room noticed my quick silence and followed my trail of sight. Alice was first to break the silence, of course.

"I'm glad to see you and my brother are," she paused for dramatic effect, "friends. And since we brought him up…. how do you feel about Edward, Bella?"

"Uh," I dragged on. "What do you mean?"

Rose and Esme both rolled their eyes and gave each other knowing looks.

"Come on, Bella," Rose encouraged. "This is girl time. What happens in this living room stays in this living room."

"Uhm… I mean, we're friends. That's all," I said. This was my second mistake, because no matter how hard I tried, lying wasn't my best suit.

"But how do you feel about him," Alice once again stressed.

"He completely infuriated me at first," I said honestly. "We started off on the wrong foot. But after he apologized in the elevator, I don't know…I think we made peace?" I looked up and hoped my answer satisfied them.

It didn't.

"I don't want to jump the gun," Alice said slowly.

"Oh no," Rose shook her head. She knew what Alice was going to say next.

"Hush," Alice told her before she looked back at me. "Anyway…I don't want to jump the gun here, but I think you and my brother are perfect for each other."

"Alice!" Esme and Rose both chastised.

"You promised us you wouldn't say anything," Rose nudged Alice.

"Whoa," I held up a hand. "You three have discussed this?"

"Bella," Alice gave me a knowing look. "You clearly don't see what's happening whenever you're both in the same room. You both get so distracted, and you stare at each other. Well, not at the same time but you know what I mean. And the family dinner? Don't tell me you're that blind Bella. I know it's probably way too soon to be in a relationship—"

"Way too soon" I echoed after her.

"But," Rose interrupted Alice. "Let's leave it at that, Alice. You don't force anything—especially love."

"Love?" I choked.

Esme patted my back gently. "All right, ladies," she said. "Let's ease off Bella."

Alice sat back in her seat with a huff. I snuck a glance at Esme who was still playing with Bellie, and I wondered how she would react if Edward and I were a thing. Not that I dreamed I would ever be or that I would ever have the opportunity to be. Edward was just so…dignified, successful, and handsome.

Would Esme approve of someone like me for her perfect son?

As much as I enjoyed the fact that Rose and Alice think I'm perfect for Edward, deep inside me, I know I'm not. Even if by some miracle I am capable of catching Edward's attention, I don't think I can give him what he wants. I have too many fears and cautions. My life is too much of a mess to drag someone into it—whether that's Edward or someone else. I'm not sure I'm capable of loving again.

X

Later that night, I found myself pacing around in the kitchen. I had so many conflicting emotions going through my body that I probably burned a hole somewhere on the marble floor. Esme and Carlisle had retired for the night and were probably sound asleep in their rooms. Alice and Rose left about three hours ago in search of their significant others. And Edward didn't make another appearance for the rest of the day. I think it was the fact that the women were having their bonding time and we ordered pizza and junk food. Esme said the men probably didn't want to intrude and found dinner elsewhere. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement.

I groaned out loud and slapped myself on the forehead.

"You're so stupid, Bella," I grumbled.

First, I want Edward to disappear. Then, I want to spend more time with him. But, I want him to keep away because it's too hard to keep my emotions in check whenever he's near. When he does keep away, I feel sad and I almost…miss him?

"What do you want?" I whispered to myself as I stealthily made my way up the stairs. I slipped into my room quietly and went into the bathroom to get changed for the night. After I finished, I got into bed, and the first thing I noticed was how the pillows and the sheets smelled like him. The frustration building up inside made me break out in tears. Big fat drops rolled down my cheeks, and I couldn't explain why. I fisted the sheets in my hands and buried my head into Edward's pillow. I took a deep breath and imagined his presence lying next to me, and holding me.

Jeez, I'm insane.

"Keep it together," I said.

Then slowly, my eyes started to droop.

I don't know how long until after I fell asleep that I'm woken by my nightmare again. Beads of sweat made their way down my neck, and my lungs felt constricted. This time, I knew the reason for the tears—genuine fear.

A sob escaped my lips, and I covered my face with my hands. My body shook from the sheer exhaustion and lacked the one affection I craved. Only when warmth surrounded my body, and the ever-present feel of the electric current between our bodies became apparent, did my crying subside. Only when I felt his breath on my arms and the pads of his fingers rubbing my back gently did I feel safe.

"Hush, my Bella," he said softly. So softly, I figured I must have imagined it.

He rocked us back and forth on my bed until I was able to control the tremors and until the tears went away. Immediately after I calmed, an overwhelming amount of shame and embarrassment crashed over me.

"I'm sorry," I rasped.

"What for?" he asked with furrowed brows.

"For making you come in here. For wasting your time—"

"Stop," he said and he firmly grasped my shoulders in both hands. "You didn't make me do anything. I've been waiting all night for you to call or text; I've been waiting for some sort of sign that you wanted me back here tonight or that we made progress with whatever it is that's between us. But you never said anything. So I waited in the hall to make sure you were okay."

Whatever was left of my heart shattered when I heard his words.

"How was I supposed to know?"

"I'm the one overstepping my boundaries here, Bella," Edward said. "I've come into your room twice now, and been in your bed without permission. I hardly find that gentlemanly, and I'm sure Mom would have my head on a pedestal if she knew."

"I don't want you to get in trouble," I said.

"I was kidding about my mom," he rolled his eyes. "But I hope you know what I mean? That I don't know what my place is in your life. So I can't assume it's okay to be here or not ... whether you'll let me in or not."

"I don't know either," I told him. "I don't know what's happening. I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow or the next day. I don't know what James or Charlie will do next. I just don't know!"

The expression on his face was hard to read.

"But what I do know is that I can't seem to sleep without you next to me. I know you make me feel safe and I know that I can trust you."

This chapter was edited by SunflowerFran. Thank you!

4/13/2018